ABSTRACTS
2019 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA
Presenter: Chidinma Agwu
Title: Alexa, Turn on the Lights: A Perspective Project on the Implications of a Sedentary Lifestyle due to Technology
Research Focus: This study is focused on the lifestyle of consumers based on their usage of Artificial Intelligence.
Institution: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Our dependence on technology is becoming greater as each new device introduces innovative ways to improve the user experience. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a growing field and brands are utilizing its capabilities to allow consumers to be phases-closer to (human) assisted living. The purpose of this study is to determine the perception of AI-based devices and its relation to public health. This research is focused on three categories of consumers: 1. Doctors, 2. Industry Professionals, and 3. The Average Consumer. This study gauges each group’s knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and the prevalence of use. The average consumer was further divided into two sub-categories: adults and adolescents, being that their usage may be very different. For the industry professionals and doctors, their perception was gauged to explore the outcome of consumers living sedentary lifestyles based on their devices. This research utilized qualitative data analysis to understand public opinion on any links between AI and sedentary lifestyles among the average consumer.
Researcher: Vanesa Ayon
Title: What Brand Are You? An analysis of consumer behavior between the decision-making process of Generic and National brands.
Research Focus: Psychology, Consumer Behavior
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
How do socioeconomic factors and psychological constructs make consumers favor national or generic brands over the other? This study examines correlations between socioeconomic factors (education level, income, etc.) and psychological constructs (ex. self-perception, price/value consciousness, etc.) that have individuals lean toward purchasing a brand-type over the other.
The proceeding research highlights which characteristics impact the decision-making process of purchasing certain brands and how those impacts affect the consumer behavior and attitudes toward other brands and self-image. The self-concept theory relates to how people see themselves and how they want others to see their self-image. This consists of a collection of
thoughts, perceptions, and feelings that make up someone’s personality and physical image. Consumers use products and brands to shape, reflect, and support their self-concepts and identities. Participants utilized are ages 18+ with different education backgrounds and income levels. Each participant completed a survey with demographic information, education levels, and questions that give an idea of how they view brands in their lifestyle. The hypothesis of this study is that participants who claim to have higher socioeconomic and psychological constructs will show a greater preference for national rather than generic brands. This study could lead to further discussions that can help companies be more aware of the consumer behavior of their customers, and it could also give an insight to the consumers about how marketers are attempting to grab their attention for products.
Researcher: Kurtis Blake
Title: Digital Deception: A Quantitative Study on Deepfake’s Ability to Delude the Public
Research Focus: Computer Information Security Systems
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Deepfakes, also known as manipulated media, have been an important topic of discussion in Congress, as well as news outlets. Synthetic media is a public risk because it can influence society’s perception of reality. To think there could be warning labels on media similar to that on a pack of cigarettes. While the use of detection technology can “sniff out” deepfakes on social media platforms, there is limited research on an individual’s ability to detect deepfakes without this technology. This study identifies the deceptive capabilities deepfakes present on the public’s ability to differentiate between real and fake using a sample size of 60 participants between the ages of 21 through 65 years of age. Survey data collected will be analyzed to identify which demographic group of participants recognized the manipulated media. The findings from this study can be used to determine whether the average person can distinguish the difference between authentic and synthetic media.
Researcher: Christianna Davies
Presentation Title: Fraternal Twins: Mending the Gap of Minority Representation In Creative Writing With Technical Writing
Research Focus: Technical Writing and Creative Writing
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Creative writing is a world where minority writers – including women, people of color, the disabled, and those in the LGTBQ+ community – remain underrepresented as professionals. The lack of representation is concerning because it greatly impacts minority readers who do not see themselves within literature. Technical writers can assist these creative writers in several ways: websites, social media, grants, and nonprofit agencies that help these underserved communities. A review of several essays, magazine articles, and books signify the lack of representation for minorities in the field of creative writing. This study found that there are a few technical writing outlets that give exposure and support to marginalized writers, resources that have proven helpful. The study also finds that if there are more technical writing resources for minority writers, then there will be a higher chance that they will receive attention and representation.
There is still a need for more resources, as these writers continue to be underrepresented.
Researcher: Gina Filoteo
Title: The Effectiveness of Classical and Heavy Metal Music on Perceived Stress
Research Focus: Psychology
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Stress occurs when an individual’s ability is challenged or when one’s well-being is threatened by excessive environmental demands. Research studies suggest music may be a medium to help individuals manage stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of listening to classical or heavy metal music while stressed. This study used a pretest-posttest factorial design and the data was analyzed by the factorial ANOVA for independent groups. College students from a four-year university and members from a local church were separated into six comparative groups differing in music genre (i.e., classical and heavy metal music) and stress-inducing task conditions (i.e., easy and difficult Tangram puzzles). All groups were compared to a control group of silence and no stress inducing task. Participants self-reported by using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before and after conducting the stress-inducing task of a Tangram puzzle under a time limit of five minutes, while listening to music or silence. The researcher hypothesized that participants who listened to classical music while stressed experienced a reduction on stress and an increase on relaxation compared to those who listened to heavy metal and silence.
Researcher: David Garcia
Title: Social Networking: Cyber Hate Allows No Safe Space
Research Focus: Social Media, Free Speech
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
This study investigates whether social media providers have done an adequate job of enforcing their terms of service regarding hate speech. This analysis will attempt to verify if enforcement of such terms is effective or if monitoring and response procedures need reform. The data set in this research traces back to 2008 and includes social media comments and posts from specific geographical areas. Social media monitoring algorithms from several nations, primarily the United States, United Kingdom, and Federal Republic of Germany will be the focus of this meta- analysis. This analysis also explores the possibility that hate speech might never be contained since the protection of freedom of speech often comes into conflict with potential hate speech.
The conclusions drawn from this analysis are three-fold: 1). most social media companies are doing minimally adequate jobs of controlling hate speech, 2). social media companies should increase the rigor of certain algorithms to mitigate the negative effects of statements made by users with high numbers of “followers”, and 3). governments must continue to collaborate to develop clearer guidelines in their regulation of internet hate speech.
Researcher: Kathy Garcia
Presentation Title: How Internalized Racism Impacts College Enrollment in Underserved Neighborhoods of San Antonio
Research Focus: College Access
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Despite both being located within the city of San Antonio, two school districts express different outcomes in areas such as median income and college readiness. This gap can influence the development of internalized racism, which manifests in students constructing a barrier, keeping them from achieving their full potential in education. The purpose of this study is to explore how internalized racism impacts college enrollment in the West Side of San Antonio, a community with historically low educational attainment and high rates of poverty. Through semi-structured interviews with participants who attended high school in the West Side of San Antonio, the researcher explores themes around internalized racism and college opportunity. The results bring awareness to the importance of educational equality in college opportunity and enrollment.
Researcher: Alyssah Gonzalez
Presentation Title: How the School-to-Prison Pipeline Impedes the Achievement of the American Dream for Minorities
Research Focus: School-to-Prison Pipeline, American Dream, Minorities
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
How does the school-to-prison pipeline impede the achievement of the American Dream? The school-to-prison pipeline, a system that disproportionately punishes Hispanic and Black students by placing them in early contact with the criminal justice system, intersects various social issues. The study identifies areas of importance such as school punishment, juvenile delinquency, government policies and lack of educational support. Though the idea of the American Dream deals with equal opportunities for all, this research finds a significant contradiction. Using a systematic review approach, the researcher used scholarly articles, books and databases, to find sources that identified impacts on minority achievement, specifically in regard to the school-to- prison pipeline. Preliminary findings indicate that there is no present connection between these three components: the American Dream, the school-to-prison pipeline, and minority achievement. Bridging the gap between the three topics will help society to understand how school to prison pipeline affects the achievement of the American Dream for many.
Keywords: School-to-Prison pipeline, American Dream, minorities
Researcher: Genoveve Gutierrez
Title: Detection of MVOCs from E. coli using Kitty Litter and GC-FID.
Research Focus: Microbial volatile organic compounds, MVOC, E. coli, absorption, desorption, GC-FID
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Microorganisms such as bacteria, mold, and fungi produce microbial volatile organic compounds, or MVOCs for short, during their primary and secondary metabolic pathways. These compounds are responsible for the smell people often associate with mold infested buildings, mildew in wet clothes, and fermented foods such as cheese, wine, and beer. Though type and amount of compound production relies on various factors such as nutrients, environment, and growth phase, they typically consist of alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, and aromatic compounds. MVOCs play an important role in microscopic matters such as microorganism interactions in nature to larger matters like upper airway infections and asthma. Although well studied, there is no established protocol or methodology for capturing MVOCs. This experiment will analyze new method development for absorption and desorption of MVOCs produced by Escherichia coli (K12) using sodium bentonite, commonly known as kitty litter, as well as gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID).
Researcher: Alexis Medrano
Title: Mental Health Views from the Hispanic Population: Understanding the Stigma from within the Community
Research Focus: Mental Health, Stigma, Hispanic Population
School: Our Lady of the Lake University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
In this research I will analyze how members of the Hispanic community view mental health as observed from a mental health professional who provides services in Spanish. The research questions are: 1.) how does the Hispanic population perceive mental health issues and 2). What is the awareness of the resources available to them? This research uses a case study approach and includes a series of questions answered by a mental health counselor to identify apparent themes. In this case, the mental health practitioner is trained to provide services in both Spanish and English. The participant is a graduate who successfully completed the Psychological Services for Spanish Speaking Populations (PSSSP) certificate from Our Lady of the Lake University. Through this interview I will analyze ways the counselor has combatted the issues of mental health stigma surrounding the Hispanic community. The first aim is to identify themes to assist in reducing stigma around seeking mental health services. Another aim is to examine the importance of providing bilingual services and how this may influence the Hispanic population.